Birding & Blues Festival Special Section

12th annual Pacific City

Birding & Blues

A Salute to Seabirds

Festival

Blues bands take center stage

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‘Welcome to Subirdia’ Keynote speaker to share key role of neighborhoods to our avian friends

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Backyard Birding DAWN HARRIS, visitor services manager of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Oregon Coastal Refuge Complex, will present “Attracting Birds to Your Backyard,” Saturday, April 30, 4-5:30 p.m. at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

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Photo courtesy of Ram Papish

ou don’t have to travel far and wide to take in your favorite feathered friends — not with the bird-friendly setting in your own backyard. And at this year’s Birding & Blues Festival, birders can get a hands-on lesson on just how best to bring native birds into their own private oasis.

Dawn Harris, visitor services manager of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Oregon Coastal Refuge Complex, will present “Attracting Birds to Your Backyard,” Saturday, April 30, 4-5:30 p.m. at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The class will meet at the lower parking lot of the refuge.

“It doesn’t matter where you live, you can get some kind of bird to come to your home,” Harris said, noting the hands-on learning opportunity will offer valuable lessons for both the newcomer and the seasoned homeowner with feeders.

Though similarly themed classes have been taught in the past, the fact that this presentation will be in the field will afford attendees a

chance to see birds’ interactions with feeders, nest boxes and native habitats. Topics covered will include bird feeders, water features, nesting boxes and native habitat and their role in attracting birds to your backyard.

“We’re also going to talk about the downside,” Harris said. “It can also attract vermin like rats and mice. We’ll talk about good proactive ways to keep squirrels off of your feeder and best practices on maintaining your feeders.”

Harris has guided the public use program for six National Wildlife Refuges along the Oregon Coast for 14 years. Her work involves volunteer coordination, natural resource interpretation, community outreach, and social media. She also worked as a field biologist in North Carolina, Florida and California and holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida and a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Oregon State University. She has an affinity for anything with feathers and is passionate about sharing this interest in birds with people of all ages.

es, human development may be threatening our environment. True, runoff pollutes our streams and homes and businesses encroach on wilderness habitat. What’s more, energy use warms the planet. Still, for some of our most charismatic wild creatures, suburban and urban habitats offer chances to thrive.

In “Welcome to Subirdia,” Birding & Blues Festival keynote speaker Dr. John Marzluff will share how our suburbs and city parks are often remarkably rich in bird diversity — holding more species than either wilderness areas or urban centers.

Marzluff is James W. Ridgeway Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington, where he teaches classes in ornithology, urban ecology, conservation and field research. His previous books include, “In the Courtesy photo Company of Crows and Ravens” (with Tony Angell), “Dog Days, Raven Nights” (with his wife Colleen), and “Gifts of the Crow” (with Tony Angell). He is a Fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union.

For his Birding & Blues talk, his point is that suburbs may play a key role in preventing loss of species in the face of the dramatic disruptions of climate change and other human impacts, a fact that his “Welcome to Subirdia” presentation will explain.

He notes that as an integral part of an ecosystem, our everyday actions affect the fabric of animal life around us.

Drawing on examples from across the country and around the world, Marzluff will show how some birds are adapting and thriving in moderately urban ecosystems. He says the diversity of plants and trees in our gardens and parks creates valuable habitat for many birds. As well, he notes that birdfeeders, ornamental ponds and fountains, and nesting boxes bolster populations and help some species to flourish.

Marzluff does admit that the news is not all good as many birds cannot adapt to the pressures of human development. These species retreat to our limited wilderness areas or become scarce.

Still, he says “Welcome to Subirdia” gives the public something to celebrate, explaining that the herons in our urban streams, the barred owls whose shrieks wake us in our city neighborhoods, the woodpeckers that nest in our wooded parks, and the chickadees that entertain us at our birdfeeders can motivate all to seek a future filled with birds.

A Chance to Make a Splash

Nestucca Adventures to offer birding trips on the Nestucca River

Photo courtesy of Nestucca Adventures

BIRDING & BLUES kayak excursions will be hosted by Nestucca Adventures, 34650 Brooten Rd., Pacific City, April 30, 6-9 p.m. and May 1, 7:30-10:30 a.m. Call 503-965-0060.

A land-based avian adventure isn’t the only way to see wildlife at the 2016 Pacific City Birding & Blues Festival — not when the guides and paddle professionals of Nestucca Adventures are at hand.

Birders eager for a unique perspective on the birds of the Nestucca River have a choice of two official Birding & Blues kayak excursions hosted by Nestucca Adventures — a sunset tour scheduled for Saturday, April 30, 6-9 p.m. and a morning excursion set for Sunday, May 1, 7:3010:30 a.m.

“It’s partly bird watching and partly a chance to have a fun activity on the water,” said Dennis McKay, owner of Nestucca Adventures.

He said amongst the birds expected to be seen on the tour are bald eagles, geese, buffleheads, margansers, turkey vultures and both great blue and green herons.

Both tours embark from an easy-access dock at Nestucca Adventures (503-965-0060).

Trips will take paddlers either upstream or north toward the mouth, depending on conditions. For either field trip, register directly with Nestucca Adventures at nestuccaadventures@ gmail.com or call 503-965-0060. Kayak rentals cost $65 per person, and include ½ hour set up and instruction, two hours on the water, a professional guide and all necessary gear. Space is limited.

Page 1 • BIRDING & BLUES FESTIVAL / April 29-May 1, 2016 • A Special Section of the Pacific City Sun

PACIFIC CITY BIRDING & BLUES FESTIVAL FIELD TRIPS

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 THREE CAPES TOUR

Photo by Tim Hirsch

HIKES at Two Rivers Peninsula will be held on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 during the Pacific City Birding & Blues Festival.

8 a.m.-3 p.m. This 60-mile round trip takes birders along the Three Capes Scenic Route from Pacific City to Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge and back again via an inland road. During the five-hour birding trip (plus two driving hours), the group will see views of the Pacific Ocean, bays, headlands, forests, rivers and pastures — each a unique birding habitat. Birders can expect to see more than 50 species, including waterfowl, loons, grebes and raptors. Stops on the northbound leg of the trip include Whalen Island, Cape Lookout State Park, Nehalem Bay and Tillamook Bay. There is a $40 fee to participate in the tour. This trip is limited to 20 people. Box lunches can be purchased for $10 extra. John Rakestraw, nationally known birder, author and naturalist, and Ram Papish, wildlife artist and biologist, will be the trip’s guides.

PIONEER TRAIL TOUR

Hiking the Trails Nearly three miles of hiking paths await at Two Rivers Peninsula For a birding excursion that promises both flora and fauna, the Two Rivers Peninsula hike offers an adventure still yet to be made available to the general public.

The 102-acre tract, which was part of a Jesuit retreat prior to being acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 2013, is not expected to open to the public until — at the very earliest — late summer 2017. And that means it’s a real treat for attendees at the Pacific City Birding & Blues Festival to traverse its nearly three miles of trails. The trail, which includes some moderate elevation gain, will take hikers north from the Pacific View Trailhead toward the peninsula’s tip, passing alongside a portion of Cannery Hill’s coastal prairie restoration project, a conservation effort aimed to benefit the federally threatened Oregon Silverspot Butterfly. According to field trip leader Dawn Harris, the Silverspot Butterly will be introduced to the area next summer.

From there, hikers enter a mixed forest of Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Red Alder and Big-Leaf Maple. Shrubs such as Salmonberry, Red Huckleberry, Red Elderberry, Evergreen Huckleberry, and Salal are heavy with flowers and burgeoning fruit. The understory teems with blooming wildflowers: Bleeding Heart, Fawn Lily, Siberian Spring Beauty, Wood Sorrel, Trillium and others.

Rough-skinned Newts amble across the trail, disappearing behind curtains of fern; six-inch Banana Slugs exude a lurid sheen against backdrops of virid moss and variegated lichens.

Amongst the birds expected to be seen and heard on the hikes will be Pacific Wren, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Red Crossbill and Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson’s Warblers, and resident raptors.

Near the peninsula’s edges lie tideland habitat used by shorebirds, River Otter, mink, and a variety of estuarine fish including Coho and Chinook Salmon.

Field trip participants should meet at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

8 a.m.-3 p.m. This new Birding & Blues field trip is an opportunity to explore historic, pioneer roads through parts of the nearby Siuslaw National Forest. Local birding guide and retired surveyor, Ken Chamberlain, and Siuslaw National Forest Biologist, Michelle Dragoo, will guide birders over old pioneer roads in the Coast Range combining birding and biology along historic roadways. Old settlements disappear quickly in this environment, indiscernible without a guide. Ruffed Grouses, Red Breasted Sapsuckers, Wilson’s Warblers, Cassin’s Vireos and American Dippers frequent the area. Billed as a wonderful inland alternative to Birding & Blues’ long-standing Three Capes Scenic Tour.

There is a $25 fee to participate in the tour. This trip is limited to 20 people. Box lunches can be purchased for $10 extra.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30 TWO RIVERS PENINSULA

7:45-10:15 a.m. Birders can get a look at the newest addition to the Nestucca Bay Refuge during this field trip led by Dawn Harris with the USFWS, Mark Elliott, an accomplished artist and birder, and Russ Namitz, a wildlife biologist and photographer. The 102-acre Two Rivers Peninsula culminates at the confluence of the Nestucca and Little Nestucca Rivers and a series of trails wind through dense, mossy-covered forest and along the tidal shores of the bay.

During the trip, birders will look for woodland songbirds, woodpeckers and bald eagles.

SEABIRDS

7:30-10:15 a.m. Birders will explore the shoreline, rocky cliffs of Cape Kiwanda, and nearby Haystack Rock in search of a variety of seabirds during this walk, which will begin with spotting scopes trained on Haystack Rock. Following that introduction, birding guides will lead avian enthusiasts up the medium-sloped dune to the “saddle” of Cape Kiwanda to search for oystercatchers, pelicans, Tufted Puffins, Common Murres, many species of gulls and sea ducks.

The festival will provide spotting scopes for best viewing. Birding & Blues guides Max Smith and Sarah Swanson, co-authors of “Must See Birds of Oregon,” will lead this adventure and share their experiences as Oregon Coast birders.

NESKOWIN MARSH

7:45-10:15 a.m. This three-mile walk in easy terrain is led by knowledgeable local birders.

Participants will walk along Hawk Creek as they traverse ideal habitat for sparrows, vireos, kinglets, warblers, wrens and snipe and then along the Neskowin Beach Golf Course to look for a variety of ducks and shorebirds. From there, as time permits, birders will take a short trail into wildlife refuge lands and along the beach. Jared Jebousek and Molly Monroe, USFWS Biologists, and Ken Chamberlain, retired surveyor and extreme coastal birder, will guide this trip.

BIRDING BY EAR

8-10:30 a.m. Most beginning birders identify

birds by what they look like. After spending time in the lush, dense Northwest habitats, they realize that our fine-feathered friends are often easier to hear than see. This field trip will concentrate on listening for birds and identifying them by their songs and call notes. (But don’t worry; participants will have the chance to do some looking too.) Ram Papish, professional wildlife artist and well-traveled birder will share his skills and lead this walk on an easy local trail.

BEGINNING BIRDING FIELD TRIP

9-11 a.m. Laura Whittemore, who is also giving a beginning birding class at the festival, will lead this field trip, which features an easy walk at a local birding site. Only people who attend Laura’s Beginning Birding indoor class may participate in this field trip. Participation is limited.

No extra fee.

SHOREBIRDS

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will explore the Nestucca Bay estuary where they’ll walk along an historic dike between the Little Nestucca River and verdant pastureland where shorebirds gather on the tidal mudflats to feed. Shorebirds that leaders will be on the lookout for include yellowlegs, Western and Least Sandpipers and plovers. This is an opportunity to explore with accomplished birders Dave Irons and Shawneen Finnegan. Dave is one of Oregon’s most respected and qualified members of the bird world as author, guide and organizer. Shawneen’s well-trained eye as a skilled bird and animal artist is a unique asset while birding afield.

COASTAL WOODLAND WALKABOUT

3:45-5:45 p.m. Birders will navigate a unique coastal woodland forest surrounded by grasslands, wetlands, dunes, bogs and protected beaches during this easy, 1.5-mile walk in a nearby coastal woodland. There, participants will learn about the trees, shrubs and unique plants in the area, and pick up interesting facts about how vegetation grows in a coastal environment. Also included will be some interesting tidbits about the area’s unique local history.

Travis Korbe, OPRD Interpretive Ranger and Celeste Lebo, OPRD Natural Resources Specialist, combine their years of coastal experience for this outstanding opportunity. Saturday’s walk will be joined by Haley Blake, new watershed council director for the area.

OWLING ADVENTURE

8-10 p.m. This is Birding & Blue’s first early evening owling adventure. Though the trip will indeed search for owls, there is no guarantee of seeing or hearing owls, though hearing one is likely. Local guide Ken Chamberlain, retired surveyor and extreme coastal birder, will share fun facts about local owls, owl habitats, nesting, and tips for when to call and best observe owls in their natural habitat. Always mindful of nesting season, the trip will limit its search to calling for the Barred Owl and hope to hear the Northern Saw-Whet Owl. To hear and find owls, there must be no rain and at the most, calm winds, so this field trip is weather dependent.

Group size is limited to 10 people who will need to share cars. Not recommended for children under age 12.

SUNSET KAYAK NATURE TOUR

6-9 p.m. During this early evening paddle, birders will get up close with the wildlife of the Nestucca River and estuary with a guided kayak tour led by Nestucca Adventures, located on the marina in Pacific City. The dock allows for easy access to the river where you will travel 4 ½ miles south to the jaws or mouth of the river, or 4 ½ miles upstream where the tidal river turns into slow, shallow rapids. The direction paddlers venture will be determined by weather conditions. The watchable wildlife along with the thrill of paddling a scenic river makes this an adventure not to miss. For this field trip, register directly with Nestucca Adventures at nestuccaadventures@gmail.com or call 503-965-0060.

Kayak rentals cost $65 per person, and include ½ hour set up and instruction, two hours on the water, a professional guide and all necessary gear. Space is limited.

SUNDAY, MAY 1 MORNING KAYAK NATURE TOUR

7:30-10:30 a.m. On this early morning paddle, get up close with the wildlife of the Nestucca River and estuary with a guided kayak tour led

by Nestucca Adventures, located on the marina in Pacific City. The dock allows for easy access to the river where you will travel 4 ½ miles south towards the mouth of the river, or 4 ½ miles upstream where the tidal river turns into slow, shallow rapids. The wildlife along with the thrill of paddling a scenic river makes this an adventure not to miss. For this field trip, register directly with Nestucca Adventures at nestuccaadventures@gmail.com or call 503-965-0060.

Kayak rentals cost $65 per person, and include ½ hour set up and instruction, 2 hours on the water, and a professional guide and all necessary gear. Space is limited.

TWO RIVERS PENINSULA

8-10:30 a.m. Birders can get a look at the newest addition to the Nestucca Bay Refuge during this field trip led by Dawn Harris with the USFWS, Mark Elliott, an accomplished artist and birder, Jack Hurt, and Russ Namitz, a wildlife biologist and photographer. The 102-acre Two Rivers Peninsula culminates at the confluence of the Nestucca and Little Nestucca Rivers and a series of trails wind through dense, mossy-covered forest and along the tidal shores of the bay.

SEABIRDS

7:30-10:15 a.m. Birders will explore the shoreline, rocky cliffs of Cape Kiwanda, and nearby Haystack Rock in search of a variety of seabirds during this walk, which will begin with spotting scopes trained on Haystack Rock. Following that introduction, birding guides will lead avian enthusiasts up the medium-sloped dune to the “saddle” of Cape Kiwanda to search for oystercatchers, pelicans, Tufted Puffins, Common Murres, many species of gulls and sea ducks.

The festival will provide spotting scopes for best viewing. Birding & Blues guides Max Smith and Sarah Swanson, co-authors of “Must See Birds of Oregon,” will lead this adventure and share their experiences as Oregon Coast birders.

NESKOWIN MARSH

8-10:30 a.m. This three-mile walk in easy terrain is led by knowledgeable local birders. You will walk along Hawk Creek as you traverse ideal habitat for sparrows, vireos, kinglets, warblers, wrens, dippers and snipe and then along the Neskowin marsh golf course to look for a variety of ducks and shorebirds. Jared Jebousek and Molly Monroe, USFWS Biologists, and experienced birder Laura Whittemore will be your guides on Sunday.

COASTAL WOODLAND WALKABOUT

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Birders will navigate a unique coastal woodland forest surrounded by grasslands, wetlands, dunes, bogs and protected beaches during this easy, 1.5-mile walk in a nearby coastal woodland. There, participants will learn about the trees, shrubs and unique plants in the area, and pick up interesting facts about how vegetation grows in a coastal environment. Also included will be some interesting tidbits about the area’s unique local history.

Travis Korbe, OPRD Interpretive Ranger and Celeste Lebo, OPRD Natural Resources Specialist, combine their years of coastal experience for this outstanding opportunity.

SHOREBIRDS

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will explore the Nestucca Bay estuary where they’ll walk along an historic dike between the Little Nestucca River and verdant pastureland where shorebirds gather on the tidal mudflats to feed. This is an opportunity to explore with accomplished birders Dave Irons and Shawneen Finnegan. Dave is one of Oregon’s most respected and qualified members of the bird world as author, guide and organizer. Shawneen’s well-trained eye as a skilled bird and animal artist is a unique asset while birding afield.

All field trips will meet on location.

FIELD TRIPS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS:

Kiawanda Community Center

Pacific City, Oregon

THREE CAPES TOUR: Tillamook County Pioneer Museum / Inn at Cape Kiwanda • PIONEER TRAIL TOUR: Oregon Coast Bank and Sportsman’s Pub-Grub • BEGINNING BIRDING: Jo Rack & Frank Gomer • TWO RIVERS (Saturday): Chinook Winds Casino • SEABIRDS (Saturday): Inn at Cape Kiwanda • NESKOWIN MARSH (Saturday): Greyfox Rentals • BIRDING BY EAR: Pelican Pub • BEGINNING BIRDING: Oregon Coast Bank • SHOREBIRDS: Oregon Coast Today / Kiwanda Coastal Properties • COASTAL WOODLAND WALK (Saturday): Adventist Health • EVENING KAYAK TOUR: Proposal Rock Inn • OWLING: Jo Rack & Frank Gomer • MORNING KAYAK TOUR: Rydell Engineering • TWO RIVERS (Sunday): Bayshore Dental • SEABIRDS (Sunday): Pacific City Inn • NESKOWIN MARSH (Sunday): Sea View Vacation Rentals / Cafe on Hawk Creek • COASTAL WOODLAND WALK (Sunday): Surf and Sand Inn • SHOREBIRDS (Sunday): Pacific City Sun / Cape Kiwanda RV Resort

SPONSORED BY: Pelican Pub & Brewery • Oregon Coast Bank • Cape Kiwanda RV Resort • The Inn at Cape Kiwanda • Bayshore Dental Images • Pacific City Sun

Presented by the Pacific City-Nestucca Valley Chamber of Commerce & the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Page 2 • BIRDING & BLUES FESTIVAL / April 29-May 1, 2016 • A Special Section of the Pacific City Sun

PACIFIC CITY BIRDING & BLUES NATURE SEMINARS & SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

SATURDAY, APRIL 30

CHILDREN’S ART ACTIVITY

BEGINNING BIRDING

3:45-5 p.m. Children ages 8-18 are invited to join Mark and Kim Cavatorta as they help students with a fun project. Participants should come dressed to get messy, just in case. Mark teaches art at Nestucca Jr.-Sr. High School, and his Courtesy photo wife Kim leads the Community Art Project’s Art Literacy program, which presents monthly art lessons to area elementary students. Limited to the first 12 students. All materials are provided. Register in advance (no fee) at 503-965-6247.

REHABILITATED SEABIRDS PROGRAM

5-6 p.m. This seabirds program offers the chance to meet and learn about live seabirds under the care of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

Presented by Joshua K. Saranpaa, director of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

As a sanctuary for Oregon’s seabirds, the Center is a volunteer based nonprofit center Courtesy photo with a mission to rehabilitate injured, sick, orphaned and displaced native wildlife with the goal of releasing healthy, viable wildlife back into its habitat.

As the only wildlife care hospital on the coast it provides professional medical care for more than 2,000 native wild birds and animals each year. Saranpaa began as a volunteer with the wildlife center eight years ago when he was only 16 years old. He received his wildlife rehabilitation permit at the young age of 18. He served as the volunteer assistant director of the center until September 2015 when the founder, and longtime director, Sharnelle Fee, passed away.

PELICAN TRAVELS, TRIBULATIONS AND SOCIAL NETWORKING

6-8 p.m. (public welcome) This free pub talk is an opportunity to learn about Brown Pelicans’ current population status, some interesting discoveries made through recent research, conservation concerns, and about what biologist Deborah Courtesy photo Jaques has learned about people’s relationships to pelicans from social media. Brown Pelicans have continued to be a focus of her monitoring and conservation efforts on the west coast.

Brown Pelicans have been described as comically elegant birds with an oversized bill, sinuous neck, and big, brown gangly body. They are one of the most charismatic birds of the Oregon coastline and their population is growing. An independent wildlife biologist who operates under her company name, Pacific Eco Logic, Jaques has worked on a wide variety of projects over the past 30 years, ranging from Antarctica to the Olympic peninsula, with an emphasis on coastal resources, particularly seabirds. She did her graduate research at U.C. Davis on California Brown Pelican habitat use and distribution in the non-breeding range, including an evaluation of northern range expansion.

8-9 a.m. In this beginning birding class, Laura Whittemore will teach attendees how to spot the differences among birds through their unique field marks and behavior, as well as where and how to watch birds. Whittemore teaches classes in beginning birding and birding by ear through Courtesy photo the Audubon Society of Portland. She fell into birding some 20 years ago. By spending time with people who knew more than she did, she went to new places, saw new birds and eventually began passing on her enthusiasm. Her favorite part about birding is it can be done anytime anywhere with just your eyes and ears. A chance to try out your new skills in the field follows the presentation. There is a companion field trip following the presentation, from 9-11 a.m., also led by Whittemore.

It will be an easy walk at a local birding site.

Only people who attend Laura’s indoor class may participate in this field trip. Participation is limited.

REHABILITATED SEABIRDS PROGRAM

9:30-10:30 a.m.

This seabirds program offers the chance to meet and learn about live seabirds under the care of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

Presented by Joshua K. Saranpaa, director of Courtesy photo the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. As a sanctuary for Oregon’s seabirds, the Center is a volunteer based nonprofit center with a mission to rehabilitate injured, sick, orphaned and displaced native wildlife with the goal of releasing healthy, viable wildlife back into its habitat. As the only wildlife care hospital on the coast it provides professional medical care for more than 2,000 native wild birds and animals each year. Saranpaa began as a volunteer with the wildlife center eight years ago when he was only 16 years old.

He received his wildlife rehabilitation permit at the young age of 18. He served as the volunteer assistant director of the center until September 2015 when the founder, and longtime director, Sharnelle Fee, passed away.

from the University of South Florida. After postdoctoral study with the Kansas Biological Survey, he worked for the National Audubon Society until 1998, when he returned to Oregon.

His education and work experience to this point was in ecology with a focus on birds; much of this work was with fish-eating birds, and required quite a bit of understanding of fish population dynamics. For the past 17 years, he has worked for the MidCoast Watersheds Council, where he concentrates on restoration of aquatic habitat, with particular attention to Coho salmon rearing habitat.

coast of Oregon for 14 years. Her work involves volunteer coordination, natural resource interpretation, community outreach, and social media. She also worked as a field biologist in North Carolina, Florida and California and holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida and a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Oregon State University. Harris has an affinity for anything with feathers and is passionate about sharing this interest in birds with people of all ages. She lives on the coast of Oregon with her artist husband Ram Papish, a flock of backyard chickens and three rescued parrots.

WELCOME TO SUBIRDIA: SHARING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS WITH WRENS, ROBINS, WOODPECKERS, & OTHER WILDLIFE

SUNDAY, MAY 1

1:30 - 2:45 p.m.

In “Welcome to Subirdia,” biologist and author John Marzluff reveals that our suburbs and city parks are often remarkably rich in bird diversity — holding more species than either wilderness areas or urban centers. In fact, suburbs may play a key role in preventing loss of species in the face of the dramatic disruptions of climate change and other human impacts. Welcome to Subirdia shows us how. Attendees will learn how some birds are adapting and thrivCourtesy photo ing in moderately urban ecosystems, often evolving before our eyes. The talk will also address ways we manage our property, plan our towns, and think about the nonhuman residents of our ecosystems — all of which can make a difference for our children and grandchildren. Marzluff is a James W. Ridgeway Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington, where he teaches classes in ornithology, urban ecology, conservation and field research. His previous books include, “In the Company of Crows and Ravens” (with Tony Angell), “Dog Days, Raven Nights” (with his wife Colleen), and “Gifts of the Crow” (with Tony Angell). He is a Fellow of the American Ornithologist’s Union.

AS THE EYRIE TURNS: THE UNBELIEVABLY TRUE STORY OF PEREGRINE FALCONS

11 a.m.-noon. Speaker Wayne Hoffman will share his experiences as a photographer of Peregrine Falcons that began nesting at Yaquina Head in Newport, Oregon in 2011. For the following five years, Hoffman was amongst many local photographers who followed the Peregrine Falcons’ journey as he learned about their social lives and documented their daily habits through photographs. In Courtesy photo 2015, everyone was surprised to see “soap opera” like changes in the nesting falcons and Hoffman documented it all. You don’t want to miss his accounting of the 2015 nesting season. A native Oregonian, Hoffman earned his master’s degree in zoology from Oregon State University, and his PhD in Biology

Courtesy photo

ATTRACTING BIRDS TO YOUR BACKYARD

4-5:30 p.m. In this presentation, which meets at the lower parking lot of the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Dawn Harris will give attendees tips on how to create a successful bird feeding yard no matter how large or small yours is. Harris is the visitor services manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex. She has guided and managed the public use program for six National Wildlife Refuges along the

PRESENTATIONS & CONCERTS MADE POSSIBLE BY: CHILDREN’S ART ACTIVITY: Shorepine Vacation Rentals / Adventist Health WILDLIFE CENTER (Friday): Bayshore Dental “PELICANS” PUB TALK: Pelican Pub ROCK HOUNDS concert: Oregon Coast Bank WILDLIFE CENTER (Saturday): Pacific City Sun PEREGRINE FALCONS: Sea View Vacation Rentals “SUBIRDIA” FESTIVAL KEYNOTE: Pelican Pub / Proposal Rock Inn / Bayshore Dental / Inn at Cape Kiwanda / Pacific City Sun / Shorepine Vacation Rentals / Cape Kiwanda RV Resort ATTRACTING BIRDS TO YOUR BACKYARD: Proposal Rock Inn FRANCO PALETTA & THE STINGERS concert: Bayshore Dental CHANGING COASTAL BIRD POPULATIONS: Shorepine Vacation Rentals COAST WATCH: Inn at Cape Kiwanda

More Info @ www.BirdingandBlues.org

Photo courtesy of Ram Papish

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIRDS GONE? TRACKING CHANGES IN OREGON COAST BIRDS POPULATIONS

9:30- 10:30 a.m. In this program, Ram Papish will look at population changes of Oregon Coast birds based on data from the annual Christmas Bird Count, a massive international citizen science project sponsored by the National Audubon Society. The presentation includes many pretty pictures of coastal birds. Papish, a “professional bird enthusiast,” combines his education in fine art with his experiences working as a field biologist to create artistic and accurate wildlife images. For 20-plus field seasons, Papish studied birds and other wildlife all over the United States and the Neotropics. In 2012, he retired from the “bio bum” lifestyle to concentrate on his first love: wildlife art. He authored and illustrated two children’s books: “The Little Fox” and “The Little Seal.” His illustrations appear in many other books and publications, including the “Handbook of Oregon Birds,” “Northwest Birds in Winter” and “Oregon Birds.” He most recently illustrated a book on the seabirds of Alaska.

Papish also enjoys writing mysteries, acting in Shakespeare plays, international travel, fantasy football and watching musicals.

COASTWATCH: THE THINGS WE LEARN FROM A WALK ON THE BEACH 11 a.m.-noon. During this presentation, Fawn Custer will help you recognize common and not so common organisms that you might find on the beach. She will share the “Adopt a Mile” program, and attendees will learn about opportunities to get involved with citizen science including the seabird survey. Custer will also lead participants down to the beach to explore the wonders of the wrack line after the indoor presentation. Custer has worked in both formal and informal settings for more than 20 years.

She earned a B.S. in science education, a B.S. in biological sciences, a M.S. in environmental education and a M.S. in integrated science with post graduate courses in learning behavior and free choice learning. Under the parent organization of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, Custer has been the CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, working with more than 1,300 volunteers along the Oregon coast for the past three years. She is also an active member of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators and the Oregon Science Teachers Association.

All presentations with the noted exception of “Attracting Birds to Your Backyard” meet at Kiawanda Community Center, 34600 Cape Kiwanda Dr., Pacific City.

2016 SPONSORS OSPREY

Bayshore Dental Clinic • Pacific City Sun • Pelican Pub

PELICAN

Cape Kiwanda RV Resort Inn at Cape Kiwanda • Oregon Coast Bank Proposal Rock Inn • Shorepine Vacation Rentals

KINGFISHER

Adventist Health Tillamook • Jo Rack & Frank Gomer Sea View Vacation Rentals

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Cafe on Hawk Creek • Chinook Winds Casino Greyfox Rentals • Kiwanda Coastal Properties Oregon Coast Today • Pacific City Inn Rydell Engineering • Surf & Sand Inn Tillamook County Pioneer Museum

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Page 3 • BIRDING & BLUES FESTIVAL / April 29-May 1, 2016 • A Special Section of the Pacific City Sun

PACIFIC CITY BIRDING & BLUES PRESENTATIONS AND MUSIC

Top blues acts take center stage

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rue, “Birding by Day, Blues by Night” isn’t the motto of Pacific City’s Birding & Blues Festival, but maybe it should be. After a day of birding field trips and presentations, festival attendees, and local townspeople, too, have the opportunity to kick up their heels at two familyfriendly blues concerts Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 at Kiawanda Community Center, 34600 Cape Kiwanda Dr., in Pacific City.

The RockHounds start off the weekend on Friday, April 29 with a mix of blues standards and danceable classic rock songs.

For almost 20 years the RockHounds have been one of the Northwest’s most popular classic rock and blues bands.

With band members from all over the United States, the RockHounds are a true Courtesy photo American Band. Band members are Stan BIRDING & BLUES CONCERTS will include the sounds of Fran“Rusty” Cook (Oregon), Greg “Angel Lips” co Paletta & The Stingers (above) on Saturday, April 30 and the Sommers (Minnesoa), Kevin “Yah Brah” Kadanceable tunes of The Rockhounds on Friday, April 29 (below). neta (Hawaii), Craig “Crash-Boom-Bang” Cunningham (New York), and James “El Supremo” Scheidt (SA).

Franco Paletta & The Stingers will provide the entertainment on Saturday, April 30. Lead singer Franco Paletta broke into the Portland blues scene in the mid 80s.

His unique vocals and dynamic harp style quickly made him a favorite blues personality in Portland.

Paletta’s unique vocal style let’s you know you are listening to a true bluesman.

“I don’t try to sound like anyone,” he says. “When people listen to me sing, they get pure Franco. I’ve been given a gift, and when I sing the blues, it’s my way of passCourtesy photo represented the CBA at the International Blues Chaling that on to someone else.” lenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

His harmonica influences include Paul ButFranco has regularly played at festivals around terfield, Little Water Jacobs, Sonny Boy Williamson, the Northwest, including the Waterfront Blues FesJames Cotton, Kim Wilson, Big Walter Horton, Wiltival in Portland, Oregon; Winthrop Blues Festival in liam Clark, and Rod Piazz.

Winthrop, Washington; the Tri-Cities Blues Festival “There are just so many great players; I try to in Walla-Walla, Washington; and the Biscuits and take a little from each of them,” he says.

Blues Festival in San Francisco, California.

Paletta has shared the stage with Portland Blues Both concerts start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, and luminaries such as Paul DeLay, Curtis Salgado, and $10 for ages 6 and under. A deluxe festival pass that Lloyd Jones. In 2007, he won the Cascade Blues Asincludes admission to the concerts is also available. sociation’s “Journey to Memphis” competition and

SEABIRD PROGRAMS on April 29 and 30 will offer the chance to learn about the live seabirds under the care of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

A Salute to Seabirds

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eabirds programs on April 29 (as part of the Birding and Blues free community open house) and April 30 (as part of the Saturday festival nature seminars) will offer the chance to meet and learn about live seabirds under the care of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. Presenting at each program will be Joshua K. Saranpaa, director of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

As a sanctuary for Oregon’s seabirds, the Center is a volunteer based nonprofit center with a mission to rehabilitate injured, sick, orphaned and displaced native wildlife with the goal of releasing healthy, viable wildlife back into its habitat. As the only wildlife care hospital on the coast, it provides professional medical care for more than 2,000 native wild birds and animals each year. Saranpaa began as a volunteer with the wildlife center eight years ago when he was only 16 years old. He received his wildlife rehabilitation permit at the young age of 18. He served as the volunteer assistant director of the center until September 2015 when the founder, and longtime director, Sharnelle Fee, passed away.

The free Friday event starts at 5 p.m. on April 29 and the Saturday festival program starts at 9:30 a.m. on April 30. Both are held at the Kiawanda Community Center.

Quite a Journey

Power to the Pelicans Wildlife biologist Deborah Jaques to speak on Brown Pelicans during free pub talk at Pelican Brewery A free talk on one of the most charismatic birds of the Oregon coastline, Brown Pelicans, will be led by independent wildlife biologist Deborah Jaques on Friday, April 29 at Pelican Pub & Brewery.

“Pelican Travels, Tribulations and Social Networking,” a two-hour talk that starts at 6 p.m., will detail the bird’s current population status, some interesting discoveries made through recent research, conservation concerns and what Jaques has learned about people’s relationships to pelicans from social media. Her presentation will include an overview of current status of the subspecies, recent research findings, and discussion of conservation concerns in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the range.

Impressed by the Brown Pelican’s physical prowess, Jaques says these birds are somewhat unique in that they are a seabird that has ties to the shore, which allows the public to “experience” them on a daily basis.

Jaques has worked on a wide variety of projects over the past 30 years, ranging from Antarctica to the Olympic Peninsula, with an emphasis on coastal resources, particularly seabirds. She did her graduate research at U.C. Davis on California Brown Pelican habitat use and distribution in the nonbreeding range, including an evaluation of northern

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

“PELICAN TRAVELS, TRIBULATIONS AND SOCIAL NETWORKING” is a pub talk set for Friday, April 29 at Pelican Pub & Brewery. The event is part of the Festival’s free community events on Friday afternoon. range expansion. Brown Pelicans have continued to be a focus of her monitoring and conservation efforts on the west coast.

Speaker Wayne Hoffman will share his experiences as a photographer of Peregrine Falcons that began nesting at Yaquina Head in Newport, Oregon in 2011 during his presentation of “As the Eyrie Turns: the Unbelievably True Story of Peregrine Falcons,” Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m.-noon at Kiawanda Community Center.

Following the Newport nesting, Hoffman was amongst many local photographers who followed the Peregrine Falcons’ journey as he learned Courtesy photo about their social PHOTOGRAPHER lives and docuWayne Hoffman. mented their daily habits through photographs. In 2015, everyone was surprised to see “soap opera” like changes in the nesting falcons and Hoffman documented it all. You don’t want to miss his accounting of the 2015 nesting season. A native Oregonian, Hoffman earned his master’s degree in zoology from Oregon State University, and his PhD in Biology from the University of South Florida. dffFor the past 17 years, he has worked for the MidCoast Watersheds Council, where he concentrates on restoration of aquatic habitat, with particular attention to Coho salmon rearing habitat.

Page 4 • BIRDING & BLUES FESTIVAL / April 29-May 1, 2016 • A Special Section of the Pacific City Sun